Detachable corner structure for crates



Qd. E5, R935. E M PENNOCK ET AL 2,017,161

DETACHABLE CORNER STRUCTUREFOR CRATES Filed May 5, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l Edwar. .Denuncie mer mfzzzwn/ `@CL 15, y1935. E' M PENNOCK ET AL 2,017,161

DETACHABLE CORNER STRUCTURE FOR CRATES Filed May 5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented oct. l15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DETACHABLE CORNER STRUCTURE FOR CRATES Edward M. Pennock, Minneapolis, Minn., and

Elmer W. McClelland, Hollywood, Calif., assignors to G. H. Tennant Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application May 5, .1930, Serial No. 449,7 53

8 Claims.

stacking arms,` and the sides and ends of which are made of wooden slats.

In the handling of these milk bottle crates they must stand considerable wear and tear and it sometimes happens that some of the wooden slats will be broken and then it is necessary that the crates be repaired and we have designed a means oi permitting the repair to be made easily and quickly and without an expensive structure where it is necessary to cut off all of the rivets which hold the parts together. We accomplish this by providing the corner member with openings and slots for some of the rivets so that it is only necessary to cut oii two of the holding rivets at the bottom, and then the corner member can be slid downward so as to release the same from the other rivets. This structure permits any of the slats to be replaced very readily.

It is also a feature of our invention to provide a bottle crate wherein the same can be readily disassembled for repair by sliding one of the members, that hold the slats, in relation to the Y other at the corners.

It is also a feature to provide a crate made up of a series of superimposed slats to provide the sides and ends of the same wherein the complemental groove is formed in each slat which is adapted to co-operate with the groove of the adjacent slat to receive a longitudinally extending edge tongue of a corner member to permit the corner member to be slid into and out of operating position. This structure with rivet engaging openings formed in the corner member provides a means of quick disassembling of the crate.

These features together with other details and objects of the invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in 'the specification and claims.

In the drawings forming part of our specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our milk bottle crate, showing our detachable corner holding means in operative position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail in side elevation of one of the corners of our crate.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective detail of one of the corners of our crate, showing the outer corner member removed.

Figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of the removed corner member used in our crate.

Figure 6 illustrates a section of a detail of a portion of our crate.

In the drawings our crate A is designed to be 5 used primarily as a milk bottle crate and is provided with spacing means by wires I0 and II to form bottle compartments such as are illustrated in our co-pending application, Ser. No. 143,611.

The crate A is made up of a series of Wooden 10 slats I2 which form the ends of the crate, while the wooden slats M form the sides of the crate.

The slats I2 and I4 are superimposed one above the other and are ordinarily spaced slightly apart so as to permit for the swelling and 15 contracting of the wood in the use of the crate A. The milk crates such as A are usually used to hold the bottles while they are run through the washing machine, and thus the crates A are subject to moisture so that they must be con- 20 structed to withstand this use, together with the severe usage to which they are subjected in handing when they are filled with milk bottles and stacked one upon the other.

The slats I2 and I4 are held together at 25 their ends to form the corners of the crate A by the inside stacking arm I5 which is formed with a stacking lug It on the top thereof and by means of the right angular shaped outer corner members II.

The outer corner members II are formed with a longitudinal inwardly extending ange I8 which is adapted to extend into the slots I9 formed in each of the slats I2 and I4 so as to assist in holding the sl-ats in line and to hold the same together 'while the inside corner member I5 and the outside corner member I'I are secured together by the rivets 2E! and 2|. In fastening the members I5 and I'I together by the rivets 20 and 2|, we have found that in the usual size crate the slats 40 I2 and I4 are so positioned that the upper slats are held by the upper rivet 2G, and then a center slat is held by another rivet 25, while the bottom slat is held by the rivet 2|. This provides a structure of the crate A where the intermediate slats I4 for assembling are freely disposed between the regular slats or the upper center and lower slat, such as is illustrated in Figure 3.

Thus the crate A is made with the slats spaced suiiiciently apart from each other to permit the expansion and contr-action of the same. The wooden slats form the best side walls for the crates A because they are tough, long-wearing, when made of the right kind of wood, and act as an insulating means against shock in one crate bumping against the other, and act to protect the bottles in the crate to prevent breaking to a very large degree.

The outer corner member |'I is clearly illustrated in Figure and is formed with enlarged openings 22 for the heads of the 'rivets 20. From the opening 22 we provide a slot 23 which is adapted to engage the shank of the rivets 20. The lower rivet 2| is adapted to pass through the openings 24 formed in the corner I'I and it will be noted that the corner II is formed with upwardly inturned flange members 25 which overlap the lower end of the inner or corner member I5. The openings for the respective rivets in the member I 5 are of a simple hole to receive the shank of the n rivets 20 and 2|, respectively.

In Figure 6 we have illustrated a removable pin or bolt 28 which is held in position by the lock nut 29. By removing this bolt the outer locking member Il which locks over the heads of the rivets 20 may be held against longitudinal movement so as to lock the ends of the slats together at the corners and to connect the inner member I5 with the member |`I to form a rigid corner for the crate A.

In assembling our crate the slats I2 and I6 are formed with suitable openings for the rivets inA the proper slats and the transverse grooves I9 into which the flange I8 is adapted to fit. The

members are placed in the proper position and.

the rivets are upset to rivet the members I5 and I'I over the ends to form the reinforcing corners of the crate A. Should it become necessary to replace one of the slats of the crate A, such as I2 or I4, it is only necessary to cut off the head of the rivets 2| and drive the outer corner member I1 downward so that the upset heads of the rivets 20 may pass through the openings 22. The crate can thus be disassembled and repaired, after which it is only necessary to slip the corner member over the heads of the projecting rivets 2li and to slide the corner member I'I back into position so that the slots 23 engage the Shanks of the rivets 20, and then new rivets 2| placed through the members and slats to lock them into position. Thus the rivets 2| virtually become lock rivets to hold the members I5 and |1 in place and against longitudinal movement and by cutting oif these rivets the crate can be readily disassembled. We have found in the manufacture of milk bottle crates that this structure is very desirable and that it is a great saving in the repairing and assembling of milk bottle crates.

In accordance with the patent statutes we have described the construction and operation and principles of our milk bottle crate and while We have illustrated a particular design and structure for the purpose of permitting the easy disassembling of the crate parts for repair or replacement, we desire to have it understood that the same is only suggestive of a means of it is so desired.

imposed slatted members forming the walls 5 thereof, relatively slidable inner and outer corner members for holding said slatted members in position relative to each other, rivet means connect- Ving said corner members together, means releas- .ably securing said rivets tosaid corner members, 10

and means securing said rivets from releasing.

3. A crate having a series of Wooden slats adapted to form the walls thereof, a corner assembly for said slats including an inner reinforcing stacking arm, an outer reinforcing locking corner, transverse slots in each of said slats, and a longitudinal flange adapted to slide into said slotslto lock the slats in said outer corner member, means connecting said inner stacking arm and said outer locking corner together, means holding said outer corner member releasably to said connecting means, and locking means connecting said inner arm and said outer corner member holding said outer corner member from releasing from said connecting means.

4. A crate having a series of wooden slats adapted to form the walls thereof, relatively slidable inner and outer right angular corner members, rivet means connecting said inner and outer corner members together, means on said outer corner member releasably engaging said rivets, disengageable from said rivets by relatively sliding said outer corner member, and locking vrivet means holding said corner members from relative sliding.

5. A crate having a series of wooden slats adapted to form the Walls thereof, relatively longitudinally movable inner and outer corner members, means on one of said corner members for locking the slats of two adjacent crate walls against longitudinal movement, locking pins for holding said corner members against longitudinal movement, and means detachably engageable with said outer corner member including means on said outer corner member normally engaging said engaging means.

6. A-bottle crate including, side walls, a corner reinforcing member, said reinforcing member having key-hole shaped slots therein, securing means for securing said corner member to said crate removably engaging in said key-hole slots, and locking means for locking said corner member against slidable disengagement with said securing means.

7. A bottle crate including a series of superimposed slats, a corner reinforcing member, means for securing said corner reinforcing member to said slats, means on said corner member detachably engaging said securing means, and means for locking said corner member from disengagement. Y

8. A corner lock for slatted milk bottle crates including a pair of relatively disengageable inner and outer corner members, means cooperable with said outer corner member for detachably connecting said members together and for holding the slats in proper relationship, said outer corner member including means engageable with said rst named means to permit one member to be slidably disengaged from the other, to disassemble the corners of the crate for repair when EDWARD M. PENNOCK. ELMERV W. MCCLELLAND. 

